Keto and exercise

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jniece55
jniece55 Posts: 181 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So last year I did Keto/LCHF and found that I lost weight pretty quickly and consistently. I fell off the wagon in December (BAD!) and started back in December but I added some form of exercise daily whether it be cardio, weights, and making sure I get at least 10K steps a day. Now my weight is barely moving if not going up. Do you know if exercise would do this on the Keto or am I following the wrong way of eating? I'm working really hard and it is frustrating to see the scale move up. I know it isn't all about the scale but still. TIA!!! :smile:

Replies

  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
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    There is no reason that exercise should gain weight on keto anymore than any other diet. You could be retaining water or you could be eating too much for your needs. Your diary is not open so I would ask if you log your food accurately. If you have been increasing your intake at a greater pace than you have been increasing your exercise calories than that's the most likely reason.

    My suggestion is to make sure you are logging accurately and then increase your caloric deficit by 100/day each week until the scale moves again, which is the same advice I would give for any weight loss plan. Eventually, you'll unstick on the scale, but in the mean time keep track of your measurements as well since fluid retention doesn't affect measurements as much.
  • freerange
    freerange Posts: 1,722 Member
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    Two questions, are you testing to see if you are in Ketosis (strips). And are you tracking your calories? I don't care what they say in ketosis or not if you eat to many calories you will gain weight, period. I'm doing Keto also and have shown good results for the first two months, but have slowed down some on the weight loss, I suspect I'm eating to much, so I'm now tracking my calories to see exactly how many calories I'm consuming. Track your ketosis with strips, and track your calories for a month, I think you will be surprised.
  • jniece55
    jniece55 Posts: 181 Member
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    freerange wrote: »
    Two questions, are you testing to see if you are in Ketosis (strips). And are you tracking your calories? I don't care what they say in ketosis or not if you eat to many calories you will gain weight, period. I'm doing Keto also and have shown good results for the first two months, but have slowed down some on the weight loss, I suspect I'm eating to much, so I'm now tracking my calories to see exactly how many calories I'm consuming. Track your ketosis with strips, and track your calories for a month, I think you will be surprised.

    I didn't test them in the past few days but I did before then and I was in ketosis but you all have a really good point. I tracked calories for a few days but I was told the calories didn't matter on ketosis, the fat/carb/protein percentages did. I'll track my calories. It is hard with recipes esp. if my husband is cooking. I know they are low carb but I don't know 100% he is using.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    edited January 2018
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    jniece55 wrote: »
    freerange wrote: »
    Two questions, are you testing to see if you are in Ketosis (strips). And are you tracking your calories? I don't care what they say in ketosis or not if you eat to many calories you will gain weight, period. I'm doing Keto also and have shown good results for the first two months, but have slowed down some on the weight loss, I suspect I'm eating to much, so I'm now tracking my calories to see exactly how many calories I'm consuming. Track your ketosis with strips, and track your calories for a month, I think you will be surprised.

    I didn't test them in the past few days but I did before then and I was in ketosis but you all have a really good point. I tracked calories for a few days but I was told the calories didn't matter on ketosis, the fat/carb/protein percentages did. I'll track my calories. It is hard with recipes esp. if my husband is cooking. I know they are low carb but I don't know 100% he is using.

    Tracking your macros is just a way of partitioning calories. You still need to be under your caloric requirements to lose weight no matter what you are doing. Keto is one way many find helps control hunger while they are in a deficit.
  • Winnersneverquitaimhigh
    Winnersneverquitaimhigh Posts: 37 Member
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    Yes may be this is the reason I gained weight after losing through keto...after a point of time I stopped tracking the calories on may be the wrong notion that in keto calories don't count..I hope I get back on track using such useful advice..thanks guys
  • jniece55
    jniece55 Posts: 181 Member
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    Which WOE do you all follow?
  • freerange
    freerange Posts: 1,722 Member
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    When "they" tell you, you don't need to track calories, what they should be saying is; a lot of people find that this type of diet helps you feel full and you naturally don't eat as much, so tracking calories isn't as important. I hate it when they hype it as "not having to track calories" it's a half truth and can be very misleading. SO track your calories for a month, it will give you great feedback, and after awhile you may find that you can stop "counting" because you will have a better feel for what your servings should be.
  • jniece55
    jniece55 Posts: 181 Member
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    freerange wrote: »
    When "they" tell you, you don't need to track calories, what they should be saying is; a lot of people find that this type of diet helps you feel full and you naturally don't eat as much, so tracking calories isn't as important. I hate it when they hype it as "not having to track calories" it's a half truth and can be very misleading. SO track your calories for a month, it will give you great feedback, and after awhile you may find that you can stop "counting" because you will have a better feel for what your servings should be.

    Thanks for the great feedback!
  • jniece55
    jniece55 Posts: 181 Member
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    moosmum1972 wrote: »
    jniece55 wrote: »
    Which WOE do you all follow?

    I eat whatever I like up to the calorie limit mfp gives me.

    Do you go with MyFitnessPal calorie and macro recommendations?
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    I tend to hold onto more water when exercising. That could be it.

    A couple of years ago I was in a heavy exercise and lifting routine but I was forced to stop due to an injury. Within 2 weeks of stopping all exercise I lost 10lbs without any dietary changes. My guess it was the water from recovering muscles.
  • Italiana_xx79
    Italiana_xx79 Posts: 588 Member
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    I do IIFYM and choose healthier options of food (mostly nothing that is processed). My carbs are usually low because I don't eat processed food. Even when I eat rolled oats or fruit, it's still generally low and based around my workouts. I did Keto for a while and I did enjoy not being hungry, I found that I was loosing a lot of hair, loosing energy for my workouts and didn't like the restrictions. This is after doing it for about a year. So far I like IIFYM. We'll see how it goes as I just switched to this a few weeks ago. :)
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    jniece55 wrote: »
    Which WOE do you all follow?

    I've never done keto or low carb because I actually find carbs filling and I just feel better when all my meals have a nice amount of carbs :). So I set my macros to I think 45-35-20 or 45-30-25 or something like that. What I was trying to aim for is 0.3g fat per lb of body weight and 0.8g of protein per lb of body weight. My major goal is my calorie goal, because ultimately that's how you gain or lose weight. Then i focus on hitting those fat & protein #s, plus the MFP fiber goal, and fill in the rest usually with carbs. Sometimes my macros are way off but I don't sweat it!

    I pretty much eat everything, though I find it easier to hit my calorie goal and not feel hungry when I eat plenty of protein and veggies. I've been at maintenance for a couple of years now, I'm currently trying to get more fruits and veggies in, and cook a little more to push out some of the convenience foods I tend to rely on.

    The key is finding a WOE that you enjoy, that is practical, and that keeps you feeling satiated at the right calorie level for the rest of your life :drinker:

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